Heat olive oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add onion, carrot, cabbage and a generous grinding of black pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft.

Add ham, potatoes, bay leaf and broth. Add a cup of water if you need more liquid to cover the soup ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add corn and simmer a few minutes uncovered until corn is tender.

Add cream, heat briefly without boiling and turn heat off. If using milk or half-and-half, be especially careful not to boil after adding dairy, or it will separate. It will taste fine, but the soup will look blotchy instead of creamy.

Season with salt (depending on the saltiness of your ham and broth, you may not need any), black pepper and cayenne (if using). Serve hot, garnishing with minced parsley if you like.

Notes

If you are in a hurry, you can skip cooking the vegetables first and simply add them to the soup pot with the ham, potatoes, bay leaf and broth.

If cooking ahead of time, do not add cream when cooking soup. Before serving, reheat soup and add the dairy just before serving.

If using thin-skinned new potatoes, you may scrub well and leave the skin on.